A very well written piece by our future PM. Make my eyes water, I'm so proud to be a Malaysian today. Thank you Rock for bringing this piece to my attention. Your blog really rock! I hope soon you won't be a mere blogger anymore but chief editor of one of newspapers. People would come streaming back ...

I am not one to attend political ceramah's in general but I just got to listen into my first UMNO ceramah through my friend's bedroom window.

Basically Idris Harun, our Deputy Higher Education Minister just held a ceramah tonight at a house (which I believe is used as office) in Ipoh which is located behind my friend's road. The PA system was generous enough to share his sermon with all neighbours.

1) Is he even allowed to unofficially address (lobby?) UMNO reps/members as he is running for a post? Official meeting was held yesterday at the town hall. He seemed to be giving them advice relating to 26 March 2009.

2) He was going on about how the "instant noodle" strategy will no longer be implemented for future elections as non UMNO voters are ungrateful.

3) He was lamenting how non Malays are grateful (talking about pig farms in Alor Gajah etc. when he was based there and how Malays have been tolerant but non Malays haven't)

4) He was commenting about how his non Malay BN colleagues assist their own race on the sly.

5) Grooming a small number of students to promote UMNO at their universities (using tanam padi as an analogy).

5) He started commenting about the success of UITM before I tuned out from hearing the nonsense.

My point is, why does Najib want to hoodwink us into believing the nonsense in the article when everyone in the vicinity of the house (who bothered to listen) just heard our Deputy Minister for Higher Education criticise his colleagues and making some not so tactful comments?

I am a voter and based on the drivel I heard from his mouth (a Minister), I am not impressed with what UMNO have to offer.

Lastly, if UMNO leaders intend to make such comments, please do not be so generous with the sound system.

THE Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Pehin Orang Kaya Pekerma Dewa Dato Seri Setia Lim Jock Seng yesterday clarified that the issue of territorial claims over Limbang was never discussed in the agreements signed on Monday, which resolved the "outstanding bilateral issues" between Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia.

"From a press report, (it was stated that) Brunei has accepted Malaysia's reported claim on Limbang or that it (Brunei) has dropped its claim (on Limbang). In actual fact, the issue of claims over Limbang was never discussed," Pehin Dato Lim said. "What was discussed is regarding the demarcation of land boundaries."

The second minister of foreign affairs and trade had been referring to statements reported by news publications which quoted Malaysian Prime Minister Dato' Seri Abdullah Hj Ahmad Badawi speaking to Malaysian reporters at a press conference, saying that Brunei had dropped all territorial claims over Limbang as a result of the signing of the Letters of Exchange (LoE).

"Brunei has decided to drop the Limbang issue and as a result, Limbang is part of Malaysian territory, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced to Malaysian media," according to a report by Malaysian newspaper The Star yesterday.

Pehin Dato Lim made the announcement during the afternoon session of yesterday's State Legislative Council meeting, where he reiterated the joint statement issued by the leaders of both nations regarding the signing of the LoE and its contents.

According to the statement, the documents included the "final delimitation of maritime boundaries" between Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia, the establishment of the Commercial Arrangement Area in oil and gas, the modalities for the final demarcation of the land boundaries between the two countries and the "unsuspendable rights of maritime access" for nationals and residents of Malaysia crossing Brunei maritime zones to and from Sarawak, provided that Brunei's laws and regulations are observed.

Quoting the joint statement, Pehin Dato Lim said that the demarcation of land boundaries would be resolved on the basis of five existing historical agreements between the governments of Brunei and Sarawak, and where appropriate, the watershed principle.

Also during the State Legislative Council Meeting, Dato Paduka Hj Puasa Orang Kaya Seri Pahlawan Tudin raised issues pertaining to problems, such as long traffic queues, encountered by travellers passing through checkpoints at Kuala Lurah and Puni. He asked whether there would be any improvement to infrastructure at these control posts to address these problems.

In response to this, Pehin Dato Lim said that plans were in place to resolve the situation but could not be carried out until the border issue was resolved. A joint technical committee has been assigned to finalise the formalities of the boundary demarcation.

Many people watched Hujah on TV9 last night. Ghafur Salleh shot point blank at top UMNO leaders in Kuala Lumpur that whatever RM billions promised to Sabah actually never materialised at all ... Wali Kota